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Police officers and civilians made racist and threatening comments on Facebook and Twitter, sent friend requests to victims of crime and uploaded images of colleagues in "compromising positions", new details show.

Hundreds of police employees have been investigated for breaching social media guidelines at forces across England and Wales during a five-year period, according to documents obtained by the Press Association.

A total of 828 cases were reported to police bosses, ranging from social media gaffes to sackable offences which threatened to bring forces into disrepute.

RAIL PASSENGERS FACING PRICE HIKE

Rail passengers will learn today just how much their season tickets will rise in January 2015, with Labour and transport campaigners pointing out the already-high cost of train travel.

The new-year rise, determined by today's RPI inflation figure, will take the overall increase in fares to around 24.7% during this Parliament, according to the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT).

And shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh will warn today of a further rise of 24% by 2018 should the Conservatives stay in power.

PM BEGINS HIS SECOND SUMMER HOLIDAY

David Cameron started his second holiday of the summer today despite Britain's growing involvement in tackling the continuing crisis in Iraq.

The Prime Minister has insisted he remains in control and will be able to manage the Government's response from Cornwall where he has headed for a break with his family.

Britain is poised to provide weapons to Kurdish troops fighting the "murderous extremists" of Islamic State (IS) in northern Iraq as well as continued humanitarian aid.

TOP OBAMA OFFICIAL SENT TO FERGUSON

President Barack Obama is sending his attorney general to Missouri following the fatal shooting by police of an unarmed 18-year-old black man.

Michael Brown suffered a bullet wound to his right arm that may have occurred when he put his hands up or when his back was turned to the shooter, according to a pathologist hired by the teenager's family.

But the pathologist said the independent team that examined Mr Brown cannot be sure yet exactly how the wounds were inflicted.

FREE SCHOOL MEALS FUNDING SHORTFALL

Councils and schools are being forced to raid existing budgets to ensure that a Government scheme to offer free school lunches to infants goes ahead, according to a survey.

Under plans first announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg last year, all five to seven-year-olds will be entitled to the meals from this September.

But a new poll by the Local Government Association (LGA) suggests that, just weeks before the initiative is due to be introduced, some local authorities are facing a shortfall in the funding they need to ensure it can be delivered.

NHS COMPLAINT RECORDS AVAILABLE

Investigations into "devastating" failures by public services that have led to patient deaths, suffering and financial hardship have been laid bare.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has made details available to the public of a raft of complaints about the National Health Service that include a number of failures to spot serious illnesses.

In one case, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust misdiagnosed a man as having a blood clot when he actually had a tear in the blood vessel from his heart to his body.

CURRENCY UNION 'THE BEST ROUTE'

A formal currency union with the rest of the UK would be the "best route" for an independent Scotland, the chair of an expert group which advises Alex Salmond's Government has insisted.

Crawford Beveridge, chair of the Fiscal Commission Working Group, said their "clear recommendation" was for such an agreement to be reached if there is a Yes vote in next month's referendum.

A formal currency union, if such a deal could be agreed, would allow Scotland to continue to use the pound and have the Bank of England as its lender of last resort if it left the UK.

'DOZENS KILLED' AS CONVOY SHELLED

Ukraine accused pro-Russia separatists of killing dozens of civilians in an attack on a convoy fleeing a besieged rebel-held city.

The rebels denied any attack took place, while the US confirmed the shelling of the convoy but said it did not know who was responsible.

The refugees were attacked with Grad rockets and other weapons imported from Russia as their convoy travelled on the main road leading from Russia to the rebel-held city of Luhansk, said Colonel Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's national security council.

MAN KILLED BY CROCODILE IN RIVER

A 57-year-old man was killed by a 15ft crocodile in front of his wife while the couple fished in a northern Australian river notorious for the deadly predators.

The man, whose name has not been released, entered the Adelaide River to unsnag his line when he was taken by the saltwater crocodile, Northern Territory Police Duty Superintendent Jo Foley said.

The woman did not see her husband taken, but heard "a scream and then turned around and saw a tail splashing in the water," the officer said.

VINE SUCKS UP FRINGE ACCOLADE

Comedian Tim Vine dusted off his joke book and cleaned up at this year's Edinburgh Fringe when his one-liner was voted the funniest wisecrack of the festival.

Vine, 47, saw his joke scoop almost a fifth of the votes in the competition run by comedy television channel Dave.

He won with the one-liner: "I decided to sell my Hoover... well it was just collecting dust."

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